Current-collecting apparatus



1,532,224 R. s. BLAIR CURRENT COLLECTING APPARATUS Filed April 19 1921 l atentcd Apr. 7, 1925.

ROBERT s. BLAIR, or soon]: BEACH; CONNECTICUT.

CURRENT-COLLECTING APrARA'rIt'I-s Application mes April 19, 1921.

To (all whom it may concern:

Be itknown that ROBERT S. BLAIR, C1131- zeu or the UnitedState's, and resident of Sound Beach, in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticut, has invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gui-- rent-Collecting Apparatus, of which the following is a. specification.

This invention relates to current collecting apparatus for electric locomotives and other electrically propelled vehicles.

One of the objects thereof is to provide a practical and efiicient means of collecting current from an overhead wire. Another object is to provide means for collecting large currents without excessive heating or arcing at the point of contact of the collector with. the wire. Another object is to eliminate sliding friction accompanying excessive wear due to the friction at the point of Contact. of the collector with the overhead wire. Another object is to Oh tain rolling surface contact with the orerhead wire at all times. to avoid jumping of the collector contact when, passing over joints in the conductor. Another object is to avoid arcing upoii ocmission of the collcctorlvecoming ice-coated. (lther objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed outh'ereinatter.

The invention accordingly consists in the .lfeatm-es oi? construction, combinations of. elements and arrangement of parts which will he OXGIIiPllfiGCl in the structure hereinafter described and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the follmving claims.

In the accompanying drawings in which is shown one of the Various possible Q111- lmdinients 'ol this invention Figure I is a diagrainatic side elevation of a collector inminted upon the root of an electric loconiotive and a section of the overhead conductor in coiitact with the collectingsurfaces is shown. Figure II is a plan View of the collecting apparatusand of a section of the roof of the locomotive upon which it mounted. Figure III is a side elevation of a section of the rolling contact member, the supporting means thereof; being sectioned along theline 1-1 in Fig ure [I as indicated by the arrows. Figure IV is a cross sectional end elevation of'the Another object is Serial no. 462,582.

rolling contact menrbers and'the auxiliary guards, the section being taken along the line 2-2 in Figin'e II as indicated by the arrows.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout in the several views ot the drawings;

Turning now to Figure I there is shown at 1'0 :1 section of an electric locomotive root having fastened thereon the pantograph collector support 11 by the pins-12 and I3. The upper end of the pantograph 11 is swi'veled to the auxiliary guard plate 1 1, the guard plate lei-being provided with a pair of journal supports one of which 15 is shown in- Figure III and the collecting roller 16 and the auxiliary collecting rollers 17 and 18 are mounted upon a shaft 19*revolving in the journals. The collecting T01161 16 and the auxiliary collecting rollers 17 and 18 mounted at the sides there'- of are clearly SliOWh in Figure II with the overheadco'nductor20in contact with the collecting roller 16. Turning now to Figure III the main collecting roller is built up of a light center core 21 which is provided with passages cored out therein to attain the maximum lightness and is made of some very light and strong alloy. Mounted upon" the core 21 is a resilient yielding sleeve 22 Which is faced with a resilient metal sheathing 23 which is inelectrical contact With the core'21 by being clamped to the surface of the core 21 at the ends by means of a pair of clamping rings 30 and 31 which are drawn down firmly upon the metal sheathing 23 by means of screws such as 24 threaded into the core 21. One of these clamping rings 530 together with the screws 24- fastening it to the core 21 is shown. in detail in lligurc III, The sleeve 22 is preferably made of some yielding material which will contii'iuously endure the operating temperature which obtains in the operation. of the collecting device; forinoderatetemperatures and light service a pneumatic casing would suiiice but where very high temperatures obtain it would be necessary to utilize some other material which will endure these tempera tures although it is possible that some of the physical properties of the pneumatic sleeve would be sacrificed in the change of construction. Figures III and IV show a pneumatic sleeve having a pipe 32 connected thereto for conducting air to the pneumatic sleeve and passing through one of the pars sages to the end of the roller 16 where it may be provided with a suitable valve. The resilient metal sheathing 23 is preferably made by weaving a tube from flat metal strips of phosphor bronze or some other metal which has physical properties that enable it to resist wear and retain its elasticity after having been subjected to relatively high temperatures and at the same time be a good conductor of electricity. The auxiliary guard plate 14 is shown in its proper relation to the collecting rollers 16, 17 and 18 in Figure IV and is so positioned in relation to the rollers that its upper surface is slightly below Y a tangent plane drawn to the surface of the main collecting roller 16. The clearance allowed between the tangent plane drawn to the main collecting roller 16 and the auxiliary guard plate 14 is such that in normal operation the deformation of the main collecting roller 16 due to the collector wire 20 pressing against it will not be suflicient to allow the auxiliary guard plate 14 to come in contact with the overhead collector 20. A disc 24 mounted on the end of shaft 19 and in electrical connection therewith has bearing against its GilCUHlIEGlGIlCG a brush 25 which is slidably mounted in a brush box 26 and is held firmly in contact with the surface of the disc 24 by the brush spring 27 which is held against the brush by the pin 28. The brush box is fastened to the journal support 15 by screws such as 29 and thus being in electrical connection therewith prevents the passage of the electric current which is being collected through the bearing surfaces of the journals, a condition which if it existed would be detrimental to the correct functioning of the bearings.

The operation of the collecting apparatus is substantially as follows:

The collecting rollers and adjacent parts are held up against the overhead conducting wire 20 by the pantagraph 11; the actuating means for obtaining this result are not shown as they are beyond the scope of this invention. The clearance between the auxiliary guard plate 14 and the conducting wire 20 is just enough to prevent contact between them when the contacting surface of the collecting roller 16 is in reasonably good condition but if the working diameter of the main collecting roller 16 should become diminished by undue wear or by the pneumatic sleeve 22 becoming deflated the conductor 20 will engage in sliding contact with the auxiliary guard plate 14 and the collecting device will still be operable. Due to the pressure with which the collecting apparatus is held up against the conducting wire 20 a certain amount of deformation of the metal sleeve 23 of the main collecting member 16 will take place resulting in an appreciable area of contact between the two due to the resilience of the metallic sleeve 23 and the resilient support 22 underlying it. As commonly installed the overhead conducting wire 20 does not follow a uniform curved path when traversin a curve but takes the form of a series of chords of the center line of the traclt above which it is installed. Thus it will be seen that as a locomotive-equipped with this collecting apparatus advances along a curve the overhead conducting wire 20 will move back and forth over the face of the main collecting roller 16 by virtue of the locon'iotive following a true curve and the conducting wire following a series of chords. The overall length of the main con-ducting roller 16 has so been proportioned that ordinarily the overhead conducting wire 20 will seldom move in an axial direction relative thereto Su'lliciently to leave the main conducting roller 16. but in a case where this should happen it will pass on to the auxiliary collecting rollers 17 and 18 at the ends of the main collecting roller 16 and in event of its moving in an axial direction further than this it will still be in contact with the auxiliary guard plate 14 and the operation of the apparatus will still be satisfactory. The outer ends of collecting rollers 17 and 18 are preferably curved downwardly, as better shown in Fig. 3, to permit the wire to slide freely from the guard plate 14 onto the rollers. or vice versa. From the above it will be seen that the overhead conducting wire 20 will be in rolling contact with the main collecting roller 16 practically all the time as is desired in the design of this apparatus.

From examination of the apparatus it will be seen that the entire apparatus is in electrical connection with the overhead wire by reason of the absence of. insulating parts anywhere in the structure and consequently it is possible to draw current from the collector by making connection therewith at any convenient point on the structure.

As various possible embodiments might be made of the above invention and. as various changes might be made in the embodiment above set forth it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having described my invention. what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In current collecting apparatus, in combination. a conducting member, a device coacting therewith and comprising an intermediate rotary collector, an auxiliary rotary collector at each end thereof and con} tact extensions at each. side thereof and ineansadaptcd to maintain flexible electrical contact between said intermediate rotary collector and said conducting member,

2. In current collecting apparatus, in combinatimi, a conducting member, a rotary collecting member adapted to rotate about an axis transverse to said conducting member and pneun'iatic means adapted to maintain flexible electrical contactv between said members.

3. In current collecting apparatus, in con'ibination, a conducting member, a device coacting therewith and comprising an intermediate rotary collector, an auxiliary rotary collector at each end thereof and contact extensions 011 each side thereof, and pneumatic means adapted to maintain flexible electrical contact between said intermediate rotary collecting member and said conducting member.

t. In current collecting apparatus, in mm'lbination, a conducting member, a flexible metallic member, and pneumatic means adapted to maintain flexible electrical contact between said members.

5. In current collecting apparatus, in combination, a member adapted to supply electric current, a rotary member and a flexible woven metallic member on the outer portion of saidrotary member adapted to contact said. first member and draw current therefrom.

6. In current collecting apparatus, in combination, a member adapted to supply electric current, a rotary member, resilient means on the outer portion of said rotary member and yielding conducting means comprising a woven covering mounted upon said resilient means adapted to engage said first member and draw current therefrom.

7. In current collectingapparatus, in combination, a stationary member adapted to supply electric current and a collecting de vice co-acting with said member and provided with a rotary member and a second rotary member secured thereto and mounted to rotate therewith about an axis transverseto said stationary member, each of said rotary members being adapted to separately engage said stationary member and one thereof presenting a yielding surface to said stationarv member.

R. In current collecting apparatus, in combination, a trolley wire and a collecting device comprising a yielding rotary member and. a second. rotary member substantially aligned and adapted separately to engage said trolley wire.

9. In current collecting apparatus, in combination, a conductor adapted to supply electric current, a rotary member having a yielding surface adapted to engage said wire and draw current therefrom, and a single member fmming lateral non-.t'otai"y extensions at each sideof said rotary mem: ber adapted to said conductor and draw currenttherefrom upon reiatite' laterat movement of the conductor out of contact with the rotary member; V

10.-II1 current collecting apparatus, in combination, a conductor, a rotary member adapted to engage and draw current from said conductor, and a non-rotary member offset from said rotary member in the direc tion of the length of the wire and present ing a contact surface lower than that of the rotary member adapted to engage and receive current from the wire upon the latter becoming abnormally depressed with relation to said rotary member.

11. In current collecting apparatus, in combination, a stationary conductor, an elongated rotary device adapted to engage and draw current therefrom and a nonrotary device presenting a contact surface lower than that of said rotary device and extending laterally therefrom and longitudinally therefrom in the direction of the length of said conductor.

12. In current collecting apparatus, in. combination, a stationary conductor, anv elongated rotary device adapted to engage and draw current therefrom and a nonrotary device presenting a contact surface lower than that of said rotary device and extending laterally therefrom and longitudinally therefrom in the direction of the length of said conductor, the end of said rotary device being curved downwardly to permit the wire to ride upwardly thereon to and from the non-rotary lateral extension.

13. In current collecting apparatus, in combination, a member adapted .to supply electric current, a rotary member having an outer surface adapted to contact with said first member and draw current therefrom, and a pneumatic member positioned beneath said outer surfaceand means for inflating said pneumatic member.

14. In current collecting apparatus, in combination, a rotary member having a metallic core provided with longitudinal passages therethrough to lessen its weight. and means mounted upon the surface of said core adapted to engage an electrical conductor and draw current therefrom.

15. In current collecting apparatus, in combination, a member adapted to supply electric current and a collecting device having a flexible woven metallic surface adapted to coact with said member and yield. under contact therewith.

16, In current collecting apparatus, in

combination, a conductor, a central rotary collecting member'having a yielding surface, and a rotary collecting member on either side thereof connected thereto to retate therewith, each of said rotary connecting members being adapted to separately engage said conductor.

17. In current collecting apparatus, in combination, an elongated rotary collecting member, and stationary collecting members extending longitudinally along either side of said rotary member and merging adjacent the ends thereof into stationary collecting members forming longitudinal extensions for said elongated rotary member.

Signed at Stamford, in the county of Fail-field and State of Connecticut, April, A. D. 1921.

ROBERT S. BLAIR. 

